Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information communication system that includes an information processing apparatus such as a Multi-Functional Peripheral (MFP) and technology related thereto.
Related Art
There are techniques using a cloud in information processing apparatuses such as MFPs. Such techniques allow, for example, an MFP to access a cloud server that provides services such as a download printing service and print out document data or the like stored in a cloud. To be more specific, a communication destination or the like in the cloud is registered in advance in the MFP so that the cloud server can be accessed in response to pressing of a specific button displayed on a control panel of the MFP.
There are also techniques for providing an intermediate server and establishing communications between an MFP and a cloud server via the intermediate server when the MFP accesses the cloud server (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-312335, for example).
The techniques using an intermediate server have advantages such as being able to access a specific device in a LAN from a cloud server. In the case of using an intermediate server for communications between an MFP and a cloud server, the Internet Protocol address (IP address) or the like of the intermediate server, for example, is registered as a communication destination when using a cloud, instead of a communication destination in the cloud server.
Incidentally, there are cases in which the IP address of an intermediate server located in a LAN is changed as a result of a change in a company's LAN configuration due to reorganization or the like within the company. If the IP address of the intermediate server has been changed, an MFP cannot identify the intermediate server having the changed IP address in the network without any action. That is, the MFP cannot use the old IP address to communicate with the intermediate server.
In this case, if, for example, the user again performs a registration operation similar to an initial registration operation that is accompanied by accessing the cloud server, using the changed IP address or the like of the intermediate server, it is possible to reflect the changed IP address of the intermediate server in the registration content of the MFP, and the MFP can again communicate with the intermediate server.
However, such a re-registration operation places a heavy burden on the user.